CHICAGO — In a season that has already thrown a few curves at the Blue Jays starting rotation, on Saturday manager Charlie Montoyo threw a knuckleballer at the Chicago White Sox.

And a left-handed one at that.

With injuries to Clay Buchholz and Clayton Richard, a 33-year-old journeyman named Ryan Feierabend was summoned from triple-A Buffalo for the desperation spot start.

And given the circumstances, the Jays got about what you would expect from a re-invented soft thrower who previously made a big-league start 10 years and 236 days earlier.

Chicago’s South Siders certainly weren’t overly fooled by Feierabend’s action. Just two pitches into the game, White Sox leadoff man Leury Garcia hit one out of the park and it went downhill from there in a 4-1 win at Guaranteed Rate Field that was made official after a three-hour rain delay after 4.5 innings.

Feierabend, who the Jays signed in February after getting his career back on track in Korea, now has the unlikely distinction of being the first Jays pitcher to toss a complete game since Marcus Stroman did so on April 23, 2017.

Never mind that it was just four innings of work, it has been a long journey back to the big leagues for the veteran who has had Tommy John surgery and shoulder troubles before adding the knuckleball to his arsenal.

“It’s all about the ultimate goal of being here and being a regular in the big leagues,” Feierabend said. “That’s kind of why I sort of re-invented myself as a knuckleballer when I went overseas the last couple of years and had some success over there.

“It’s just been persevering and waiting for the next chance to pitch in the big leagues.”

That opportunity may be limited to one start for now as Feierabend made his first appearance of any type in the majors since 2014. But given the injury troubles, who knows?

“Injuries stink,” Feierabend said. “But for me being a veteran player it’s all about keeping after the grind and hopefully there’s more opportunity ahead.”

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

What started as a warm, sunny Chicago afternoon with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius deteriorated rapidly towards the end of the fourth inning.

Officials opted to play the top of the fifth and with the White Sox leading, that was enough to make it official. Unfortunately, the heavens had opened by then and soaked large portions of the field.

What followed was an achingly long three-hour rain delay, a pause that stretched that long essentially under the urging of Montoyo.

“(Officials) asked me early on (to cancel) and I said no,” Montoyo said. “It’s a 4-1 game and I said we’re just going to wait. If it’s not playable, it’s not playable but it’s my job to try to win a game.”

You can’t blame the manager for that given that a miserable May in chichi the Jays have a 4-12 record has led to an 18-27 mark overall. When the rains finally stopped and the tarp was rolled up, the field was ruled unplayable, however, and that was that.

Rowdy Tellez #44 of the Toronto Blue Jays is greeted in the dugout after scoring against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 18, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois.David Banks /
Getty Images

PITCHING IN

That the Jays needed Feierabend on an emergency recall speaks to the desperation in the rotation.

When Buchholz went down with a back injury and Richard’s recovery from knee issues slowly but surely resolves itself, Toronto management found itself in a bind.

So Feierabend was summoned from triple-A to at least get through the weekend.

Some other pitching/injury updates with the team:

– Aaron Sanchez, who left Friday’s contest with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, is unlikely to miss a start. It is believed the Jays caught the situation before the blister got too severe and Sanchez himself hinted that he’ll be good to go for his next scheduled appearance.

– After spending a couple of days with the team, Richard was sent to Buffalo for a rehab assignment on Saturday and the results were encouraging. Richard went 3.1 hitless innings for the Bisons striking out four on 31 pitches.

– The news for Buchholz is not as positive, however. The right-hander was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of a muscle in his right shoulder and upper back and is scheduled to visit Dre. James Andrews this week. If the diagnosis holds, it will be a long stint on the injured list for the veteran.

AROUND THE BASES

Not great news for hard-luck Jays infielder Devon Travis, who has had a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. Travis was sent to a specialist in New York for further evaluation.

– Your daily Vlad Guerrero Jr. update: The rookie third baseman had his third error of the season when he mishandled a ground ball by Garcia in the fourth inning. He also had a single in his first at bat.

– Freddy Galvis extended his hitting streak to nine games with a second-inning double and is batting .314 during that stretch.

– In Friday’s 15-hit, 10-run win over the White Sox, the Jays had eight hits from rookies, something they did for just the fourth time in club history in a game before the month of June. The Jays now have 92 hits from rookies, the runaway lead of all major league teams.

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